Organisations

May, 1915

“I heartily congratulate you upon the splendid conduct and bravery displayed by the Australian troops in the operations at the Dardanelles, who, indeed, proved themselves worthy sons of the Empire”

The words of His Majesty, King George V, were music to the ears of Australians, inspiring Alexandrine Seager, founder of the Cheer Up Society to pen another poem (refer below) praising the Australian soldiers and deriding those who had criticised their behaviour.

In May the newspapers in South Australia continued to be filled with news of the war. There were detailed daily updates from Europe and of course information about what was happening in the Dardanelles (very favourable to the Australians, of course). On 3 May, the first casualty lists were printed in the paper – two South Australians were listed as dead and two as wounded. In the following days additional lists were published. The 25th list appeared in the Advertiser on 29 May. It noted that among the casualties were 14 South Australian officers killed, 65 wounded; 34 Privates killed, 374 wounded and 1 missing. Soon the pages of the paper also contained short biographies of some of the dead and portrait photographs with headlines like ‘Australian Heroes’. News also reached South Australia that the Australian commander, Major General William Bridges had died from wounds received in the fighting at Gallipoli.

Alongside battlefront news were stories about the ongoing war efforts at home: there were acknowledgements of donations of socks and balaclavas; fundraising events (such as a Flower Day in Port Adelaide and a ‘khaki concert’ held by the Cheer Up Society). The range of requests to the public was quite extraordinary and unimaginable today: there were calls for towels for hospitals and for people to make mosquito nets to protect wounded soldiers in Egypt. Some even urged that knitting be introduced as a compulsory subject for all girls over 9 years, so they too could contribute to the war effort.

At Gallipoli on 9 May, the Australians launched an offensive on the enemy lines at Quinn’s Post, but the Ottoman counter attack erased any gains. This was followed on 19 May by an Ottoman offensive, during which more than 3000 Turks were killed. There were so many bodies that on 24 May a truce was arranged so the dead could be buried.

From the official diary of the 10th Battalion and from Louis Avery’s personal diary, we learn a little of what life was like for the soldiers during these days: in the first days of May, Avery records that he was hit twice by bullets, but received only superficial wounds. He also mentions several short armistices for both sides to bury their dead. Leo Terrell was still in Australia, but his unit in Victoria was preparing for embarkation – so on leave back in Adelaide, he purchased a ring for Clara, and the engagement was official. We also meet a new correspondent this month – Ross Smith, who landed at Gallipoli with the 3rd Light Horse Regiment 15 days after the initial landing. His reflections on his first experience of war make compelling reading.

There were still plenty of South Australians willing to enlist – indeed, news from Gallipoli prompted a spike in national enlistments. Soldiers in training continued to march through the streets of Adelaide before enthusiastic crowds. Doctors and nurses too, were encouraged to enlist, although there were no positions considered suitable for ‘lady doctors’.

Towards the middle of the month, South Australians learned that some of the wounded were convalescing in England, while others were expected to return to Australia where hospitals, carers and supplies would be required. Reminiscent of Downton Abbey, The Advertiser reported that Mr Robert Barr Smith had offered his home, the 80-roomed mansion in Torrens Park (now park of Scotch College) as a convalescent home, and others made similar offers.

Empire Day (the anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth) was celebrated with greater fervour than in previous years on 21 May, and 22 May was the start of Manufacturing Week, a showcase for locally produced goods, and an opportunity to spruik the benefits of supporting local industry. Drought-breaking rains were recorded around the country, but still some supplies (butter and meat in particular) were in short supply and rising in price. There were also cases where bakers were convicted of selling short-weight bread (ie loaves that weighed less than they claimed). Adelaide also became the focus of the nation as the Federal Labor Party Conference opened on 31 May, bringing the Prime Minister (Andrew Fisher) and other leaders to the state.

In Germany, South Australian woman Ethel Cooper, still unable to send any of the letters that she has written from Leipzig to her sister in Adelaide, noted with optimism Italy’s declaration of war on Germany and Austria. She also made mention of the ‘scandal’ of the sinking of the Lusitania by German submarines.

As the Anzacs continued fighting in the Dardanelles, in Belgium the War had taken a sinister turn with the first successful widespread use of chlorine gas by the Germans in the Second Battle of Ypres. Not long afterwards, Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, announced that the British would follow suit.

Seager, Alexandrine

In business before the war, Mrs Alexandrine Seager had the administrative and organisational skill required for running the Cheer Up Society, which she founded in, after visiting Morphettville camp to see her son in the Australian Imperial Force in November 1914. With the support of the editor of Adelaide newspaper, The Register, she appealed to South Australian women to join the Society, which aimed to provide 'general comfort, welfare, and entertainment' for soldiers. Initially, they visited camps, arranged entertainments, such as concerts and sent comforts to the front. As the wounded began returning from Gallipoli, they provided comfort and care. From 1915 they were based in a large tent behind the Adelaide Railway Station, which was replaced by the Cheer-Up Hut in nearby Elder Park (opened on 14 November, 1915).
The Society had eighty country branches, and a key aspect of their fundraising was the annual Violet Day Appeal (first held on 2 July 1915).
She was also instrumental in the foundation of the South Australian Returned Soldiers’ Association.
For further information, visit History SA's online resource, Adelaidia

Cheer-Up Society

The South Australian Cheer-Up Society was founded by Alexandrina Seager. Its object was to support the soldiers as well as to bring them into contact with the 'highest type of womanhood'. They visited the soldiers at camp before they embarked for the trenches and provided them with supper, concerts and conversation.

Major General William Bridges

When war broke out, William Bridges was charged with creating the first expeditionary force, the AIF. He was promoted to the rank of Major General. He landed with the troops at Gallipoli, and despite the risks, undertook a daily inspection of the front lines until 15 May, when he was shot by a Turkish sniper. He was evacuated to a hospital ship, but died from the wounds.

10th Battalion

The 10th Battalion was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the First World War. The battalion was recruited in South Australia, and together with the 9th, 11th and 12th Battalions, formed the 3rd Brigade.
The battalion was raised within weeks of the declaration of war in August 1914 and embarked for overseas just two months later. After a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving in early December.

Avery, Louis Willyama

Louis Willyama Avery was born on July 15, 1891, and moved to Adelaide from Broken Hill for his education. He attended St Peter’s College and later the SA School of Mines, where he studied Engineering.
He was working in Broken Hill when war was declared, and he decided to enlist for service in August 1914. He was a member of the 3rd Field Engineers, A.I.F, 1st Australian Division, 3rd Brigade, and landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915. Later in the war he fought in Europe, being awarded a Military Medal in 1917.
Following his time in the Dardanelles, Avery was hospitalised suffering from typhoid fever, and letters from his father to military administration show how difficult it was for families in Australia to find out information about the health of soldiers overseas.

Terrell, Frederick Leopold

After working as an iron moulder, 25 year old Frederick Leopold (Leo) Terrell was frustrated by the lack of work in South Australia and, enlisted for service for the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train at Keswick on 27 March, 1915.
After several months of training, Terrell embarked from Australia on 3 June 1915 and served with the AIF at Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay. He later served with the 12th Field Artillery Battery on the Western front in Europe.

Smith, Ross

Ross Smith spent part of his childhood growing up on Mutooroo Station, near Broken Hill. He and his bother Keith were educated in Adelaide, and in 1910, Ross joined the Australian Mounted Cadets and was selected to represent South Australia in an international tour.
He enlisted in August 1914, joining the 3rd Light Horse Brigade and served in the Dardanelles and later at Romani. In 1917 he joined the Australian Flying Corps.
After the war, Ross and Keith took up the Australian government's challenge to flying from England to Australia in less than 30 days. They were successful in the challenge, and were knighted for their efforts.
Sadly, Ross Smith died in a flying accident in England in 1922, testing an aircraft the brothers were planning to use to fly around the world.

3rd Light Horse Regiment

The 3rd Light Horse Regiment was raised in Adelaide on 17 August 1914. Although most of its recruits were enlisted in South Australia, one of the regiment’s three squadrons was composed of Tasmanians and was raised and trained in Hobart. The two components sailed from their home ports in late October 1914 and arrived in Egypt in the second week of December. Here, they joined the 1st and 2nd Regiments to form the 1st Light Horse Brigade.

Robert Barr Smith

Barr Smith was known a wealthy pastoralist known also for his philanthropy. Prior to the war he donated significant funds to the University of Adelaide towards a Library (which now bears his name) and to St Peter’s Cathedral. During the war, he offered his home, Torrens Park (now part of Scotch College) as a convalescent home for injured soldiers. (for further information see http://adelaidia.sa.gov.au/people/robert-barr-smith)

Empire Day

Cooper, Ethel

Caroline Ethel Cooper (1871-1961) was something of an eccentric – for starters, she had a pet crocodile called Cheops which she kept in her apartment, and lived a very independent lifestyle. A proficient musician, she formed her own Women’s Orchestra in Adelaide before the outbreak of the war.
A regular visitor to Germany, she was living in Leipzig when the war broke out. She remained in Germany for the duration of the war, writing a letter each week to her sister Emmie in Adelaide. Although these letters could not be posted during the war, the first 52 were smuggled to Switzerland and posted from Interlaken and the remainder were hidden and sent from England in 1918.
Although her premises were often raided by police and she was forbidden from leaving several times during the war, she was not detained and had a pass that stated her presence was ‘agreeable to the military authorities’.
She returned to Adelaide for a few years after the war, but returned to Europe where she participated in relief work. She settled in Adelaide in 1936, with her then-widowed sister.

Sinking of the Lusitania

On 7 May 1915, the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine, sinking off the coast of Ireland. More than 1000 people lost their lives, including more than 100 American civilians. America had declared neutrality in the First World War, and although it took another two years for America to enter the war, this event is considered a factor in the American Government’s decision to join on the side of Britain and France.